Bridge Centering?

[Ron Nossaman]

>That's what I was asking about Ron. The pins in the picture were way out 
>at the front edge of the bridge up around note 88. I was asking if the 
>bridge was undercut up there as most are - here being the danger of 
>cutting under the line of pins.
>
>Terry Farrell


Yup, I knew what you were asking, but I can't see the undercut from here to 
tell what the relationship is. So is it safe to undercut exactly up to 
directly below the front pin row, but the piano will self-destruct if you 
go a little too far? It's not quite that dramatic or ultra critical. I'm 
just saying it's best for structure and stiffness to not cantilever the 
treble. To that end, I don't undercut past the front pin row. A lot of 
things that aren't structurally optimal - like compression crowning 
soundboards - are done, accepted as adequate (if not outright superior), 
and excused from consideration when looking for something to blame 
performance problems on. I try (and hope) to stay within mechanical limits, 
but then I'm pretty conservative.

Ron N